Anyway
by Penelope Jadewing
Summary: Growing up is hard. Especially when you're Elliot Nightray. So much has happened so fast... So when his maid up and disappears, it's just adding icing on the cake. Everything seems to be going wrong. And it's St. Bridget's holiday break! He's supposed to be having fun. This mystery is the last thing he wants to deal with. Elliot x OC. ONESHOT. T for violent content and death. R&R?


**A/N: So, this is the sequel to ****_Siren's Lure _****and ****_Loaded Shotgun_****, continuing my Elliot/Nerys saga/storyline/thing. Nerys is my OC. Even if you don't usually like canon/OC, I do hope that you give her a chance. :) Because I think she's pretty cool.**

**So, without further ado, I give you: ****_Anyway_****. Enjoy, and review, please? :D I can always use feedback to help me become a better writer.**

**~Penelope**

* * *

His breath fogged the window, flaring in tendrils of frosty mist that contrasted against the window cooled by late winter air outside. Leaning on his elbows on the sill, he stared out over the Nightray courtyard, watching the gate from where he sat in his bedroom. About nine hours ago, he'd pulled up that chair. Why? To wait. For who?

His girl.

It had been a long January at Lutwidge, and he'd so been looking forward to coming home for St. Bridget's Day break – three days. He got three days away from that penitentiary, to enjoy the holiday with his family, and more importantly… her.

He'd thought of her often, especially after the incident surrounding his departure…

_"Father, might I speak to you?" He peered through the doors of Bernard Nightray's study, hand on the knob._

_The raven-haired man looked up from his paperwork, and studied him a moment before nodding. "Come in."_

_Elliot did so, closing the door behind him and approaching solemnly. He kept a serious expression on his face, hoping that his father would know that what he was about to say was important._

_He had seen the way Vanessa treated her… The harsh insults, the screams in her face, the needless shoves. He saw similar behavior from the juvenile bullies in Lutwidge's halls, and he hated it. He had even been guilty of it himself. And as much as he loved his sister, he could no longer stand by and watch Nerys go through it. From what he had gathered, she went through enough abuse at home._

_And so here he was, without even Leo knowing what he was about to do._

_"Father, I'd like to request that Nerys Winterspell be transferred, from Vanessa's services to mine. I'd like her to be my chambermaid." Let them all talk. Let Leo scold him. He didn't care what they all said; he wasn't going to keep turning a blind eye._

_Bernard Nightray looked genuinely surprised, eyebrows raising. Slowly, the man set down his quill and steepled his fingers. "Elliot… do you realize what you're asking?"_

_"Very clearly, sir. And I don't take the request back."_

_The man breathed in slowly, thinking for a moment before he opened his mouth, hesitated, and then continued._

Elliot had gotten a long lecture on chastity, moral conduct, and embarrassingly enough, virginity over the next hour or so before his father had finally been assured that Elliot had no ulterior motives for his request, and had agreed to transfer the maid from her current work field to Elliot's, where she would be working with not many others outside of Elliot himself, and Leo. They would be able to keep an eye on her, and make sure she had as few run-ins with Vanessa as was possible.

Unfortunately, Duke Nightray had forbidden Nerys to accompany him to school as Leo did; he drew the line there, and so Elliot had left her alone, hoping that she would be all right for five weeks. Two weeks in, with snow still on the ground and little to do in his free time outside of the music room or the library, he began to plan an excursion for St. Bridget's Day. That, of course, involved many afternoons daydreaming and zoning out, so much so that he completely missed a History study. And he loved History. It had surprised even him how much the plans had weighed on his mind.

Even Leo had noticed. And of course, Elliot had always been so good at hiding his emotions…

_"You seem awfully excited to get home," said the valet, sitting across the carriage from his master._

_Elliot jerked his gaze away from the window, realizing that a stupid smile had made its way across his face in his musings. He quickly wiped it off as he stared at Leo. "What?"_

_Leo raised an amused eyebrow. "You were blushing."_

_He felt the color rise to his face, and ducked his head, covering his embarrassment with a scowl. "W-Was not…"_

_"Ha, she's right!" Leo laughed. "You do only stutter when you're nervous! Why have I never noticed this?"_

_"Sh-shut up!" Elliot folded his arms, shying into himself. Ridiculously, pain from old wounds flared in his chest – kids all over the schoolyard jeering, laughing at how he started fights and then ended up humiliating himself with an involuntary stutter…_

_How stupid was that? Elliot closed his eyes and shook his head to himself. That was past. It didn't matter. What was that scar acting up for?_

_"Are you planning anything special for her on St. Bridget's day?" Leo asked._

_Elliot just smiled._

Of course he had planned something special for her. He was going to take her out riding, and 'stumble' across a path lined with blue roses and feathers, and hanging lanterns. A fairytale-esque feel to it all. Then he was going to take her to the moor, where they would have a picnic and maybe a little bit of wine, if he could get his hands on it, and then watch the St. Bridget's fireworks down in Reveille. And it would have all been perfect! But upon arriving home, he had found that his plan lacked one thing.

The girl.

He had searched the entire mansion that morning high and low, for the white-haired maid, and found no trace of her. Her room had been emptied, and that had set a sinking feeling in his chest.

He hadn't known what to think. Until…

_"Vanessa? Where is Nerys?"_

_The older girl's expression soured at the name, which made Elliot's temper inwardly flare. "You mean Winterspell? She quit."_

_QUIT!? "What!?" he blurted._

_Vanessa scowled at him, patience obviously thin today. "Quit, Elliot. She quit. Dropped out. As soon as you left for school. And if you ask me, it's good riddance. I never trusted her… and neither should you!"_

_"Yeah, well, no one asked you," he spat, and exited the parlor at a brisk pace._

He'd wandered around the manor for a bit, trying to make sense of it. Why on earth would she quit? Especially right after he left, after he'd had her work duties reassigned? Things might have gotten so much better for her.

She said she needed that job. He had called her out on her father's debts soon after her birthday, and had barely managed to get affirmation, and a brief explanation, which was more like an excuse.

_"I started working here because my father wanted me to," she said. "He thought that… if I was a good worker, and did everything as I was told that… that maybe he could weasel out of a few dollars of what he owed."_

Cornelius Winterspell was a snake. Low as dirt, and ugly as… as… Anyway, it confused him to no end why on earth Nerys would quit out of the blue. It made no sense, there seemed to be no reasoning behind it.

But before he could investigate further, yet another peculiar oddity knocked at his door. Literally.

_"So, why did you come, again?" Elliot asked the tall redheaded boy after his equally fiery-haired sister had disappeared down the hall. "We didn't get any word of a visit or anything…"_

_Jonathan Fidel chuckled, and answered in his charming Scottish brogue. "I do apologize for that. I hope we're nae imposing."_

_"Not at all." Liar. Elliot really needed to head into Reveille to see Nerys. Or even her mother… "You said something about taking a look around the grounds?"_

_"Pfft." Jonathan waved a hand flippantly. "That was just an excuse. Truth is, my sister has been itching to see yer valet again."_

_Elliot's eyebrows shot straight up at that, and he felt a snicker building in his throat that he tried to hide by clearing his throat. "Leo?"_

_"Aye. Said something 'bout a book series she wanted to share with 'im. She didnae want ta come 'cross as froward by coming alone, so she dragged me along."_

_By then, Elliot couldn't hold back his chuckling, and he slapped a hand over his mouth to try and keep from appearing rude. But a smile split his face anyway, which he was sure the young nobleman could see. "I'm sorry; it's really not funny…" Liar._

_Jonathan looked amused, though. "Sure it's funny. I just did all my laughing before we got here."_

_Then, Elliot felt a little freer to laugh, and did so before he settled down a bit. "So, what… does Mercy fancy him, then?"_

_"It's a hunch, but I think so." Jon smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "I think she finds him, eh… how would ya say… handsomely mysterious?"_

_That set Elliot to sniggering again. "You're kidding."_

_"No, I'm not!" The Scot grinned. "She's never been keen on waiting, either."*_

So, that had been interesting. Elliot finally had the chance to get back at Leo for that stunt he pulled when he and Oz locked him in the library with Nerys. Alone. For, like, ever.**

After he saw to it that Jonathan was adequately entertained, Elliot excused himself and slipped out to the stables to grab Aztec, his palomino stallion, and take a ride into the city. But before he could get there…

_"Elliot!"_

_He froze, halfway to the stable doors, and sighed through clenched teeth. He slowly turned on his heel to see Vanessa marching up to him. "What?" he barked._

_She scowled up at him, and pointed to the house. "Aren't you forgetting something?"_

_He cocked a sardonic eyebrow. "Am I?"_

_"Elliot, you moron!" She clenched her fists at her sides. "Not only do you have company, but you have your piano assessment today! The tutor is waiting upstairs. Since when do you forget your recitals?"_

_"Since I'm busy, that's when," he snapped back, but in the back of his mind, he knew that he couldn't back out of this one._

_She latched a fist around his forearm, and proceeded to drag him inside. "You little brat. Get inside! Now!"_

So he had spent the remainder of that afternoon reciting pieces that he had once felt so passionate about. He was able to use some of the songs as channels for his frustration, but the longer he played, the more frustrated he got, and the more mistakes he made. By the end, his tutor, Francis Leroy, looked extremely confused, and highly disappointed. What was worse was that Elliot couldn't explain anything. All he could really say was…

_"I guess my head wasn't in it today…" Elliot muttered, staring down at the gleaming ivories that usually put such a peace in him._

_Monsier Leroy frowned, and leaned a hand on the piano's hood. "Your head is never in it, Elliot. Your heart – where was your heart?"_

_Elliot looked down to his hands that were clasped in his lap._

Off in Reveille somewhere. That's where his heart had been.

Down below, Elliot could see Jonathan and Mercy exit and head down the steps onto the driveway. One of the stable hands brought up two massive draft horses, which the young Scots mounted and reined in to leave. Mercy turned around in the saddle, and waved toward the door, where Elliot could only assume Leo was seeing them off. A small smile quirked his mouth, the first since his piano assessment that afternoon.

He would have been enjoying this a lot more had everything gone according to plan.

As he thought, he needed only wait a few more minutes before footsteps came up the hall, and the door opened. Elliot knew who it was before he even said anything.

"Why are you sulking in here?" Leo asked, coming up behind him.

"Sulking?" Elliot glanced over his shoulder with a scowl that he plastered on in order to appear normal.

Leo rolled his eyes, though Elliot could barely see it behind his bangs and glasses. "Yes, sulking. In fact, you've been sulking all day! What's wrong with you?"

Of course, Elliot hadn't told Leo anything he had found out that day. He hadn't gotten the chance. "Well…"

"It's Nerys, isn't it?"

A short laugh escaped him. "How-"

"It would take a woman to make you so quiet."

Ha. Elliot snorted indignantly, but didn't say anything because really, he knew Leo was right. Leo always seemed to be right. But, Elliot could never tell him that. He might go getting a big head about it.

"She quit right after we left for Lutwidge," Elliot explained.

Leo stared at him, shocked, for a short moment before he pulled up the desk chair and sat down to listen. "Why?"

"I don't know… Vanessa didn't tell me."

"Did you ask?"

"Well, no…"

Leo sighed. "Mm. She probably wouldn't have told you anyway, even if you had."

True. Elliot went back to staring out the window. A thought struck him then, and he swallowed. "There is… There is one thing…"

"What?"

"One reason why she would do that…" Yet another detail Elliot had failed to disclose with Leo. He had meant to do so when they reached Lutwidge, but once there, it had just slipped his mind.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Which is?" He had that impatient tone that usually meant he knew something was up. That Elliot had done something that he should have discussed with Leo first.

Elliot stared at his shoes. "Well… I might've had her work duties moved from Vanessa to me."

He heard Leo facepalm.

The bespectacled boy groaned. "Yeah, that would do it… You do realize how that makes her look, right? What work duty did you have her moved to?"

Elliot fidgeted in his seat. "Chambermaid…"

"Ugh! Elliot!"

Elliot frowned. "What!? What is the big deal? Father didn't seem to mind; we talked it over, and he got it!"

"Think about other people, Elliot!" Leo urged. "Think about her reputation."

"What reputation…" Elliot muttered.

"That's beside the point. The point is, once people caught wind of it, they'd make her out to be your secret lover."

Turning in his seat, he sent Leo a very dry look. "Isn't that technically what she is?" he deadpanned.

Leo made a face, and clenched a hand in his hair, exasperated. "Yes, but wasn't the whole idea to keep it just that? A _secret_."

"It could still be a secret…" Elliot grumbled. He still didn't understand what all the fuss was about… Other noblemen had chambermaids, and no one considered it odd.

_That's because it's usually the scandalous affairs that noblemen pay to keep quiet._

Eh. That's true.

"Not with the different parties Vanessa goes to. You could keep a secret, I could keep a secret, your father could even keep a secret. Maybe. But your sister has far too many friends and too great a dislike for Nerys to really care about reputation. She might soften it a bit for your sake, but she's going to make Nerys seem as dirty as possible." Leo leaned his elbows on his knees, giving Elliot a 'level with me' look.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Elliot raked his fingers through his hair and leaned back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling. "But what do I care?"

"What do you-!?"

"Hear me out!" Elliot whined, peeking over at his valet with a pointed look. "Why should I care what Vanessa says? It's not true. Most of it, I mean. Nerys and I could get married and move to the middle of nowhere and never have to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Leo waved his hands, cutting Elliot off before staring at him with a bewildered look. "Married? You're talking… Whoa, now. When did this happen?"

Crud. Did he actually say that? He couldn't believe he said that… Elliot felt heat creeping to his ears. "I-I…" Any response that came to his mind seemed to dig him in a further hole, so he just clamped his mouth shut and gulped.

Leo looked at him in earnest. "Elliot… This is serious territory you're straying into, here. Are you are you really that sure about this?"

He chewed on the inside of his cheek anxiously. Was he? Was he sure about anything? It seemed like so much had happened in less than a year… The run-in with Oz Vessalius, the reemergence of the Headhunter, Gilbert's return, their excursion to Sablier, the mysterious appearance of the Fidels, talk of Jack Vessalius reborn and the search for the next Glen, all of it had just happened to coincide with his falling head over heels for a facetious, sassy maid in his family's service. It had really only been a matter of months, but…

How had he even thought about marriage? That was just stupid! He was only sixteen, for crying out loud. Sure, a lot of his peers were 'engaged', strictly speaking, and would marry after about a year to a spouse previously selected for them, but he had never wanted to be one of those people. He had always wanted to wait until… until…

He found the right one.

"Elliot?"

He blinked, and jerked his gaze toward Leo. "Huh?"

"You zoned out again."

"Sorry…" He frowned, wrinkling his nose. "Well, I…" He scoffed. "I don't have an answer for that!"

Leo frowned right back. "That's what worries me. See, you need to be more careful what you say. Had anyone else heard that…"

"No one else did," Elliot snapped.

"Conveniently…" Then his servant got a very strange look on his face. "You apologized."

Now what was he talking about? "Eh?"

"You apologized for zoning out."

Elliot's brow furrowed, and his gaze darted as he tried to think about what Leo could be getting at. "Yeah… so?"

"You never apologize without being told to."

Oh, that. Huh… "Well… I did this time."

"Why?"

"I don't know! Why all these weird questions all of the sudden!?" He hunched in his chair, suddenly very uncomfortable. He didn't like these deep sorts of talks; they made him feel weird, and all kinds of… confused.

Leo didn't say anything for a long time, long enough for Elliot to relax again, and for his mind to wander right back to Reveille like a fish on a hook. Gah, what was wrong with him!? Why couldn't he get Nerys out of his head?

"You want to go to see her." It wasn't a question, and Leo stood up as he said it.

Elliot hesitated before he nodded. "Yeah."

"So, let's go."

He looked up at Leo. Leo, the stickler for rules and regulations and all things logical. "But… Vanessa restricted me. I'm not supposed to go anywhere. She said it was because of the Headhunter…"

"Pfft." Leo actually laughed. "Since when did that stop you?"

Since when did that stop him?

A grin split Elliot's face, and he stood. "Grab my coat."

* * *

They had managed to evade the gatekeeper, and galloped their way into Reveille, Elliot on Aztec and Leo on Elliot's old black gelding, Shadow – give him a break! He named the thing when he was twelve!

Reveille, in all its splendor, was completely ready for St. Bridget's Day, overwhelmed with feathers and ribbons and streamers and lots and lots of blue. Not that Elliot minded. He loved the color blue.

The horses' hoofbeats clacked on the cobblestone, and the noble boy and his valet took in the busy city. Night had fallen, and the moonlight and lantern light provided stunning highlights of silver and orange, and the starry sky made a brilliant backdrop for all the decorations. They traversed the city streets, ignoring and mostly being ignored by the people who were out at this time of night. Most of the taverns and inns exploded with noise of raucous laughter and loud music, and they tried to steer clear of those. The last thing they needed was a run-in with a drunk that got kicked out into the streets for causing trouble. Leo let Elliot lead, as he knew where they were going and Leo did not.

He came to the road where Lutwidge's headmaster and his family lived, and turned right down the next street, going from the inner city to a peaceful residential area. Here, it was much quieter, and darker, as there were less lights outside of the streetlamps. Down one block, stood the Winterspell house, white and looking quite lovely in the moonlight.

As they drew near, though, Elliot's heart dropped to his stomach like a rock.

The door was hanging wide open, and the foyer was dark. In fact, no lights burned in the windows. The glass stared down at them like dark, dead eyes.

"Elliot…" Leo began.

Elliot swung off Aztec's back and dropped the reins to the ground. The horse would stay put, giving him nothing to worry about as he pushed open the picket gate. "I see it."

He heard Leo's feet hit the ground behind him, and footsteps followed him up the stone walk to the front door, which gaped in shadows, waiting for them. Elliot hesitated just inside the doorway, pausing. Maybe it wasn't what it looked like. Maybe the door had just gotten blown open…

A chill raced up his spine as he listened to the dead-silent home. "Hello?" His voice cracked over the walls like a gunshot. Nobody answered.

"Something's wrong," Leo said, voice dropped to a whisper.

Elliot swallowed, and proceeded into the house.

Was this why Nerys hadn't come? What if the house had been this way for days, and… and Elliot hadn't been here to do anything?

He stepped through the door, quietly. Walking slowly, the twosome proceeded into the foyer, looking about, ready for anything.

Leo saw him first, and Elliot did the same just as Leo raised a hand to point.

A small form lay crumpled at the base of the stairs. Too small for Nerys. And there was only one person in this house that Elliot knew to be that small. He stepped closer, heart pounding, and caught a glimpse of snow-white hair, and lovely golden eyes dulled, and staring wide at empty space.

It was Willy. And he was dead.

Fresh blood oozed from a gash across the young boy's forehead, from which protruded a shard of brown glass.

He saw stars, and suddenly, he was staring at his hands, bracing himself on his knees against the cold hardwood. Bile stung the back of his throat, and he swallowed it down. Then he realized how hard it was to breathe.

That blood… That kid… He was only twelve! Who… Who-Who would do this!?

He felt Leo's grip on his arm, heard him muttering to him. He sounded muffled, far away…

"Elliot, wake up! Hurry, you need to come quick!"

Quick? Why…

Magdalene. Nerys.

He bolted to his feet, sending Leo stumbling back. The noire recovered quickly, and led the way into the next room. Darker shadows threw themselves over their heads, wrapped around their ankles, and Elliot had to squint to see through them. They were in the parlor; Elliot had never gone much further than the foyer.

Leo rushed over around the sofas, and knelt on the floor between the loveseat and the tea table. Looking closer, Elliot caught glimpse of a limp hand at his feet.

No.

No, no, no.

It couldn't be. He refused to believe it! Still, he took his steps almost hesitantly before he leaned over the edge of the sofa, looking down at the body.

Long white hair stained with blood that spilled from a great split across the back of her skull. He felt sick, beginning to see stars again. Then he saw Leo shaking his head.

"She's dead, but… it's not her."

Magdalene. Elliot gulped down his nausea, feeling like a monster for being relieved, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't Nerys, so there was still hope. He stepped away from the sofa, looking around, eyes keen. Where was she?

"Elliot, over there." Leo motioned toward the corner, furthest from the windows. The darkest corner of the room. Elliot whirled, and as soon as he spotted the shadowy form, he sprinted over.

There was no missing Nerys' scar. But it seemed to have been joined by dozens of others that discolored the right side of her face, stained it with blood. The left side swelled along her cheekbones and eye. Shards of more brown glass jutted gruesomely from her skin. The right shoulder of her dress had been ripped cleanly off, the fabric slipping indecently low, and the exposed skin sported more glass, more cuts, more blood. Her neck, also spotted with glass cuts, sported disgusting bruises, which Elliot realized bore semblance to a hand print. He reached out a hand toward her, and realized he was trembling.

He slipped his fingers against her neck, silently praying. And then he felt the pulse.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he tore off his coat and laid it over her; the house was freezing, he then discovered, giving him all the more reason to cover her.

"Leo, go get the doctor! Hurry!" he barked, brushing away the glass that littered the floor and seating himself on Nerys' left and leaning her unconscious form against him.

Leo nodded, and bolted from the house.

Elliot turned his attention back to Nerys. He brushed her white hair off her neck, careful of the glass shards, careful not to touch them. He had no way of knowing how deep they were. She seemed to be losing a good amount of blood from a number of them, but without knowing if there was still glass in them, he could do nothing but watch her suffer.

Sorrow and a tinge of guilt twisted his gut.

But it was soon replaced with rage. Hard, cold, fiery, violent rage.

It had been her father. He didn't know how he knew, but who else would it have been? The man was nowhere to be seen, and the evidence of brown liquor bottles was everywhere, even in his victims. Elliot ground his jaw so hard that it hurt.

Cornelius Winterspell would pay for this.

But of course… That wouldn't bring Nerys' family back. Who would she have after her father was sent to prison for murder?

He stared at her battered face, looking so oddly peaceful in her sleep, and sighed. "You have us, Nerys…" he muttered before he could stop himself.

She had them. Him and Leo, if no one else. They would take care of her. Who cared what the other nobles said? He had been determined to take care of her before, and now, he was even more set in this new path. Let the nobles wag their tongues. He was going to care for her anyway. Let them scoff, gossip, laugh. He would care about her anyway.

Let his family disapprove of him. He would love her anyway.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews? Pretty please? :3**


End file.
